The Pickering Manuscript William Blake

The Smile There is a smile of love, And there is a smile of deceit, And there is a smile of smiles In which these two smiles meet. And there is a frown of hate, And there is a frown of disdain, And there is a frown of frowns Which you strive to forget in vain, For it sticks in the heart's deep core And it sticks in the deep backbone And no smile that ever was smil'd, !ut only one smile alone, That betwi"t the cradle and grave It only once smil'd can be# And, when it once is smil'd, There's an end to all misery. The Golden Net Three $irgins at the break of day% &Whither, young man, whither away Alas for woe' alas for woe'' They cry, and tears for ever flow. The one was cloth'd in flames of fire, The other cloth'd in iron wire, The other cloth'd in tears and sighs (a))ling bright before my eyes. They bore a *et of golden twine To hang upon the branches fine. +itying I wept to see the woe That ,ove and !eauty undergo, To be consum'd in burning fires And in ungratified desires, And in tears cloth'd night and day -elted all my soul away. When they saw my tears, a smile That did .eaven itself beguile, !ore the /olden *et aloft

As on downy pinions soft, 0ver the -orning of my day. 1nderneath the net I stray, *ow entreating !urning Fire *ow entreating Iron Wire, *ow entreating Tears and 2ighs 0' when will the morning rise3 The Mental Traveller I travell'd thro' a land of men, A land of men and women too# And heard and saw such dreadful things As cold earth wanderers never knew. For there the !abe is born in 4oy That was begotten in dire woe# 5ust as we reap in 4oy the fruit Which we in bitter tears did sow. And if the !abe is born a boy .e's given to a Woman 0ld, Who nails him down upon a rock, 6atches his shrieks in cups of gold. 2he binds iron thorns around his head, 2he pierces both his hands and feet, 2he cuts his heart out at his side, To make it feel both cold and heat. .er fingers number every nerve, 5ust as a miser counts his gold# 2he lives upon his shrieks and cries, And she grows young as he grows old. Till he becomes a bleeding 7outh, And she becomes a $irgin bright# Then he rends up his manacles, And binds her down for his delight. .e plants himself in all her nerves, 5ust as a husbandman his mould# And she becomes his dwelling place And garden fruitful seventyfold.

And ag8d 2hadow, soon he fades, Wandering round an earthly cot, Full fill8d all with gems and gold Which he by industry had got. And these are the gems of the human soul, The rubies and pearls of a love sick eye, The countless gold of the aching heart, The martyr's groan and the lover's sigh. They are his meat, they are his drink .e feeds the beggar and the poor And the wayfaring traveller% For ever open in his door. .is grief is their eternal 4oy# They make the roofs and walls to ring# Till from the fire on the hearth A little Female !abe does spring. And she is all of solid fire And gems and gold, that none his hand (ares stretch to touch her baby form, 0r wrap her in his swaddling band. !ut she comes to the man she loves, If young or old, or rich or poor# They soon drive out the Ag8d .ost, A beggar at another's door. .e wanders weeping far away, 1ntil some other take him in# 0ft blind and age bent, sore distrest, 1ntil he can a -aiden win. And to allay his free)ing age, The poor man takes her in his arms# The cottage fades before his sight, The garden and its lovely charms. The guests are scatter'd thro' the land, For the eye altering alters all# The senses roll themselves in fear, And the flat earth becomes a ball#

The stars, sun, moon, all shrink away A desert vast without a bound, And nothing left to eat or drink, And a dark desert all around. The honey of her infant lips, The bread and wine of her sweet smile, The wild game of her roving eye, (oes him to infancy beguile# For as he eats and drinks he grows 7ounger and younger every day# And on the desert wild they both Wander in terror and dismay. The Land of Dreams Awake, awake, my little boy' Thou wast thy mother's only 4oy# Why dost thou weep in thy gentle sleep3 Awake' thy father does thee keep. &0, what land is the ,and of (reams3 What are its mountains, and what are its streams3 0 father' I saw my mother there, Among the lilies by waters fair. &Among the lambs, cloth8d in white, 2he walk'd with her Thomas in sweet delight. I wept for 4oy, like a dove I mourn# 0' when shall I again return3' (ear child, I also by pleasant streams .ave wander'd all night in the ,and of (reams# !ut tho' calm and warm the waters wide, I could not get to the other side. &Father, 0 father' what do we here In this land of unbelief and fear3 The ,and of (reams is better far, Above the light of the morning star.'

Mary 2weet -ary, the first time she ever was there, 6ame into the ball room among the fair# The young men and maidens around her throng, And these are the words upon every tongue# &An Angel is here from the heavenly climes, 0r again does return the golden times# .er eyes outshine every brilliant ray, 2he opens her lips 'tis the -onth of -ay.' -ary moves in soft beauty and conscious delight, To augment with sweet smiles all the 4oys of the night, *or once blushes to own to the rest of the fair That sweet ,ove and !eauty are worthy our care. In the morning the villagers rose with delight, And repeated with pleasure the 4oys of the night, And -ary arose among friends to be free, !ut no friend from henceforward thou, -ary, shalt see. 2ome said she was proud, some call'd her a whore, And some, when she pass8d by, shut to the door# A damp cold came o'er her, her blushes all fled# .er lilies and roses are blighted and shed. &0, why was I born with a different face3 Why was I not born like this envious race3 Why did .eaven adorn me with bountiful hand, And then set me down in an envious land3 &To be weak as a lamb and smooth as a dove, And not to raise envy, is call'd 6hristian love# !ut if you raise envy your merit's to blame For planting such spite in the weak and the tame. &I will humble my beauty, I will not dress fine, I will keep from the ball, and my eyes shall not shine# And if any girl's lover forsakes her for me I'll refuse him my hand, and from envy be free.' 2he went out in morning attir'd plain and neat# &+roud -ary's gone mad,' said the child in the street# 2he went out in morning in plain neat attire, And came home in evening bespatter'd with mire.

2he trembled and wept, sitting on the bedside, 2he forgot it was night, and she trembled and cried# 2he forgot it was night, she forgot it was morn, .er soft memory imprinted with faces of scorn# With faces of scorn and with eyes of disdain, ,ike foul fiends inhabiting -ary's mild brain# 2he remembers no face like the .uman (ivine, All faces have envy, sweet -ary, but thine# And thine is a face of sweet love in despair, And thine is a face of mild sorrow and care, And thine is a face of wild terror and fear That shall never be 9uiet till laid on its bier. The rystal a!inet

The -aiden caught me in the wild, Where I was dancing merrily# 2he put me into her 6abinet, And lock'd me up with a golden key. This 6abinet is form'd of gold And pearl and crystal shining bright, And within it opens into a world And a little lovely moony night. Another :ngland there I saw, Another ,ondon with its Tower, Another Thames and other hills, And another pleasant 2urrey bower, Another -aiden like herself, Translucent, lovely, shining clear, Threefold each in the other clos'd 0, what a pleasant trembling fear' 0, what a smile' a threefold smile Fill'd me, that like a flame I burn'd# I bent to kiss the lovely -aid, And found a threefold kiss return'd. I strove to sei)e the inmost form With ardour fierce and hands of flame,

!ut burst the 6rystal 6abinet, And like a weeping !abe became A weeping !abe upon the wild, And weeping Woman pale reclin'd, And in the outward air again I fill'd with woes the passing wind. The Grey Monk &I die, I die'' the -other said, &-y children die for lack of bread. What more has the merciless tyrant said3' The -onk sat down on the stony bed. The blood red ran from the /rey -onk's side, .is hands and feet were wounded wide, .is body bent, his arms and knees ,ike to the roots of ancient trees. .is eye was dry# no tear could flow% A hollow groan first spoke his woe. .e trembled and shudder'd upon the bed# At length with a feeble cry he said% &When /od commanded this hand to write In the studious hours of deep midnight, .e told me the writing I wrote should prove The bane of all that on :arth I love. &-y brother starv'd between two walls, .is children's cry my soul appalls# I mock'd at the wrack and griding chain, -y bent body mocks their torturing pain. &Thy father drew his sword in the *orth, With his thousands strong he march8d forth# Thy brother has arm'd himself in steel, To avenge the wrongs thy children feel. &!ut vain the sword and vain the bow, They never can work War's overthrow. The hermit's prayer and the widow's tear Alone can free the world from fear.

&For a tear is an intellectual thing, And a sigh is the sword of an Angel ;ing, And the bitter groan of the martyr's woe Is an arrow from the Almighty's bow. &The hand of $engeance found the bed To which the purple tyrant fled# The iron hand crush'd the tyrant's head, And became a tyrant in his stead.' "uguries of #nnocence To see a World in a grain of sand, And a .eaven in a wild flower, .old Infinity in the palm of your hand, And :ternity in an hour. A robin redbreast in a cage +uts all .eaven in a rage. A dove house fill'd with doves and pigeons 2hudders .ell thro' all its regions. A dog starv'd at his master's gate +redicts the ruin of the 2tate. A horse misus'd upon the road 6alls to .eaven for human blood. :ach outcry of the hunted hare A fibre from the brain does tear. A skylark wounded in the wing, A cherubim does cease to sing. The game cock clipt and arm'd for fight (oes the rising sun affright. :very wolf's and lion's howl <aises from .ell a .uman soul. The wild deer, wandering here and there, ;eeps the .uman soul from care. The lamb misus'd breeds public strife, And yet forgives the butcher's knife. The bat that flits at close of eve .as left the brain that won't believe. The owl that calls upon the night 2peaks the unbeliever's fright. .e who shall hurt the little wren 2hall never be belov'd by men. .e who the o" to wrath has mov'd 2hall never be by woman lov'd. The wanton boy that kills the fly

2hall feel the spider's enmity. .e who torments the chafer's sprite Weaves a bower in endless night. The caterpillar on the leaf <epeats to thee thy mother's grief. ;ill not the moth nor butterfly, For the ,ast 5udgement draweth nigh. .e who shall train the horse to war 2hall never pass the polar bar. The beggar's dog and widow's cat, Feed them, and thou wilt grow fat. The gnat that sings his summer's song +oison gets from 2lander's tongue. The poison of the snake and newt Is the sweat of :nvy's foot. The poison of the honey bee Is the artist's 4ealousy. The prince's robes and beggar's rags Are toadstools on the miser's bags. A truth that's told with bad intent !eats all the lies you can invent. It is right it should be so# -an was made for 4oy and woe# And when this we rightly know, Thro' the world we safely go. 5oy and woe are woven fine, A clothing for the soul divine# 1nder every grief and pine <uns a 4oy with silken twine. The babe is more than swaddling bands# Throughout all these human lands Tools were made, and born were hands, :very farmer understands. :very tear from every eye !ecomes a babe in :ternity# This is caught by Females bright, And return'd to its own delight. The bleat, the bark, bellow, and roar Are waves that beat on .eaven's shore. The babe that weeps the rod beneath Writes revenge in realms of death. The beggar's rags, fluttering in air, (oes to rags the heavens tear. The soldier, arm'd with sword and gun, +alsied strikes the summer's sun. The poor man's farthing is worth more

Than all the gold on Afric's shore. 0ne mite wrung from the labourer's hands 2hall buy and sell the miser's lands 0r, if protected from on high, (oes that whole nation sell and buy. .e who mocks the infant's faith 2hall be mock'd in Age and (eath. .e who shall teach the child to doubt The rotting grave shall ne'er get out. .e who respects the infant's faith Triumphs over .ell and (eath. The child's toys and the old man's reasons Are the fruits of the two seasons. The 9uestioner, who sits so sly, 2hall never know how to reply. .e who replies to words of (oubt (oth put the light of knowledge out. The strongest poison ever known 6ame from 6aesar's laurel crown. *ought can deform the human race ,ike to the armour's iron brace. When gold and gems adorn the plough To peaceful arts shall :nvy bow. A riddle, or the cricket's cry, Is to (oubt a fit reply. The emmet's inch and eagle's mile -ake lame +hilosophy to smile. .e who doubts from what he sees Will ne'er believe, do what you please. If the 2un and -oon should doubt, They'd immediately go out. To be in a passion you good may do, !ut no good if a passion is in you. The whore and gambler, by the state ,icensed, build that nation's fate. The harlot's cry from street to street 2hall weave 0ld :ngland's winding sheet. The winner's shout, the loser's curse, (ance before dead :ngland's hearse. :very night and every morn 2ome to misery are born. :very morn and every night 2ome are born to sweet delight. 2ome are born to sweet delight, 2ome are born to endless night. We are led to believe a lie

When we see not thro' the eye, Which was born in a night, to perish in a night, When the 2oul slept in beams of light. /od appears, and /od is ,ight, To those poor souls who dwell in *ight# !ut does a .uman Form display To those who dwell in realms of (ay. Long $ohn Bro%n and Little Mary Bell ,ittle -ary !ell had a Fairy in a nut, ,ong 5ohn !rown had the (evil in his gut# ,ong 5ohn !rown lov'd little -ary !ell, And the Fairy drew the (evil into the nutshell. .er Fairy skipp'd out and her Fairy skipp'd in# .e laugh'd at the (evil, saying &,ove is a sin.' The (evil he raged, and the (evil he was wroth, And the (evil enter'd into the young man's broth. .e was soon in the gut of the loving young swain, For 5ohn ate and drank to drive away love's pain# !ut all he could do he grew thinner and thinner, Tho' he ate and drank as much as ten men for his dinner. 2ome said he had a wolf in his stomach day and night, 2ome said he had the (evil, and they guess'd right# The Fairy skipp'd about in his glory, 4oy and pride, And he laugh'd at the (evil till poor 5ohn !rown died. Then the Fairy skipp'd out of the old nutshell, And woe and alack for pretty -ary !ell' For the (evil crept in when the Fairy skipp'd out, And there goes -iss !ell with her fusty old nut. William Bond I wonder whether the girls are mad, And I wonder whether they mean to kill, And I wonder if William !ond will die, For assuredly he is very ill. .e went to church in a -ay morning, Attended by Fairies, one, two, and three#

!ut the Angels of +rovidence drove them away, And he return'd home in misery. .e went not out to the field nor fold, .e went not out to the village nor town, !ut he came home in a black, black cloud, And took to his bed, and there lay down. And And And And an Angel of +rovidence at his feet, an Angel of +rovidence at his head, in the midst a black, black cloud, in the midst the sick man on his bed.

And on his right hand was -ary /reen, And on his left hand was his sister 5ane, And their tears fell thro' the black, black cloud To drive away the sick man's pain. &0 William, if thou dost another love, (ost another love better than poor -ary, /o and take that other to be thy wife, And -ary /reen shall her servant be.' &7es, -ary, I do another love, Another I love far better than thee, And another I will have for my wife# Then what have I to do with thee3 &For thou art melancholy pale, And on thy head is the cold moon's shine, !ut she is ruddy and bright as day, And the sunbeams da))le from her eyne.' -ary trembled and -ary chill'd, And -ary fell down on the right hand floor, That William !ond and his sister 5ane 2carce could recover -ary more. When -ary woke and found her laid 0n the right hand of her William dear, 0n the right hand of his loved bed, And saw her William !ond so near, The Fairies that fled from William !ond (anc8d around her shining head#

They danc8d over the pillow white, And the Angels of +rovidence left the bed. I thought ,ove lived in the hot sunshine, !ut 0, he lives in the moony light' I thought to find ,ove in the heat of day, !ut sweet ,ove is the comforter of night. 2eek ,ove in the pity of others' woe, In the gentle relief of another's care, In the darkness of night and the winter's snow, In the naked and outcast, seek ,ove there'